Russia and Ukraine Peace Negotiations

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet with President Putin to discuss peace between Russia and Ukraine. Fox News Radio's Jonathan Savave joins us with the details. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is West Michigan's Morning News. Steve Kelly and Brett Kata.
White House Envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow set to meet
with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a whirlwind of weekend
negotiations with Ukraine. On the story this Morning, Jonathan Savage
with Fox News Radio, Good day to.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
You, sir, Hello, good morning to you.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
What do we know about this timeline? This was a
Fox story that I'm reading from a few hours ago.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
So the Steve Wikoff and we believe Jared Kushner is
they're in Moscow. They're going to meet Kirol Dmitriev, who
is Vladimir Putin's main negotiator, and then in a few
hours from now, should be meeting Vladimir Puttin himself in
a discussion which we'll we're told will last as long
as it takes, was as long as it takes for

(00:49):
Vladimir Putin to make up his mind about whether the
deal in front of him works for him. It is
a refined framework peace agreement which started with his twenty
eight point plan, which Ukraine and its European partner said
was way too slanted towards Russia's Haymes that was then
thrashed out in Geneva with the Secretary Estate Marco Rubio,

(01:09):
and it was whittled down and changed significantly. Then over
the weekend in Florida at Steve Whit Costs private golf
resort to American and Ukrainian delegations met once again and
what they've come up with will be taken to Vladimir Putin.
But Vladimir Putin has always said he will not accept
any offer that doesn't match his demands. That's been his

(01:29):
public perception. However, the White House say they're very optimistic
that this could be the start of a peace deal
in Ukraine. So we wait and see.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
You say, whittled down from this story, it looks like
it's now a nineteen point proposal. But Ukrainians is on
board with these nineteen points.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Right, it would appear that way. President Vladimir Zelenski said
the talks have been constructive. He says there were some
tough issues that still have to be worked through. The
most difficult issue is the territorial issue. Russia controls about
twenty percent of Ukraine. They want Ukraine to give up
even more, to give up parts of the country that

(02:10):
the Ukrainian troops still hold and that, of course would
be very difficult for Ukraine to do politically and emotionally
on top of everything else. So yeah, that's where we
are at the moment. The territorial issue is difficult, but
the Ukrainians are engaging with it.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
In the meantime, we hear more about hostilities right on both.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
Sides, Yeah, we do. Russia today are claiming that they
have finally taken the town of Pokrovsk after a year
and a half of battling. That's in eastern Ukraine. It's
a crucial town strategically. The Ukrainian military, they'll say that
this is propaganda. They can tend their troops are still
holding part of the north of Prokrosk and attacking Russian

(02:54):
soldiers in the south. So the fogga diplomacy and the
fog of war very much in evidence.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
And at what cost. So many lives are being lost
and who would have guessed when this thing started that
Ukraine would still be in this game at all?

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Right, one point four million casualties on both sides in
terms of death and injuries, that is the latest number
that is being put about. And yes, Vladimir Zelenski said
in the Oval Office in February that it was expected
to be just a matter of days that Ukraine would
be able to hold out against Russia. They did better
than that, even before the Western supplies of arms and

(03:32):
ammunition and aid arrived in such large numbers. They beat
the Russians back away from Kiev, and now Russia controls
this eastern part of Ukraine and they continue to fight back,
of course, massively, due to the help from the United
States and European partners.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
With Fox News Radio Ween London, Jonathan Savage, thanks for
your time today.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Thank you